SAIGON

Ho chi Minh
Chity

Saigon,
correctly Ho-Chi-Minh City with 6 to 8 million inhabitants is the heart and the
soul of Vietnam and socialism de Luxe. It’s a bustling, dynamic city with Road
markets, nice cafes, pubs, shops, bars, boutiques and luxury hotels. This all
let forget you that Vietnam is still a “third world country”. Prosperity and
poverty live are here closely next to each. It is a split between the different
worlds. In no other city in Vietnam so much is earned, built and lived so
excessively. Here is a completely different life feeling.

In the
300 year old history of the city were more than 100 years controlled by
foreigners. Still exists French architecture, American businesses and Asiatic
diligence beside each other. Companies, big bank houses and investors determine
today the destiny of this Boomtown.

Buildings in the colonial style, churches and the broad roads and places remind
of the French past. Naturally, still here more than in the other cities of
Vietnam, there is a horrible traffic. The city always is in motion. We liked it
immediately. It reminded us many years ago of Bangkok. The next to each other of
modern trend and tradition inspires us again and again. Here big shopping
streets, there small shops and handicrafts.

One of
the main attractions is the Ben Thanh market with its hundreds of shops. Here
you can find everything, what ever you want. In the evening, if the market is
closed, the free areas and the surrounding small roads transform into an
enormous meal market. We could stroll here cross and crosswise for many hours

In
addition, Saigon has many calmer objects of interest like the Chinese Phung Son
Tu Pagoda with their large smoking hung up spirals inside, which burn down for
hours and makes a marvellous atmosphere.

Other
sightseeing-Highlights are the imposing main post office, which was held in the
French architectural style and the historical museum. In the museum the whole
history of Vietnam is very descriptive represented. An absolute Highlight here
was an over one hundred years old mummy of a woman. Interesting but somehow a
creepy feeling. In
order to hurt nobody feelings, we later exchanged the photo of the mummy against
another photo from the museum.

Of
course we explored everything by foot again. There are like in Hanoi and Hoi An
many galleries lacquered works-shops, antiques-shops a.s.o., too.